The Halloween Party That Almost Wasn't
by I. M. Frelling-Wonko
Summary: The team is stuck off-world for Halloween and Vala is not happy.


This was supposed to be part of my Holiday series but when I moved two of the characters to Nevada, it kind of fell through. I didn't want to give up the idea so decided to post it as a oneshot. Hope you like it.

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**Disclaimer: **Nope, don't own it.

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**Spoiler Warnings: **None really.

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**The Halloween Party That Almost Wasn't**

Vala was moping...Again. Daniel watched her from across the field as she sighed heavily once more and kicked at an invisible clump of dirt next to the fountain where she sat. She'd been like this for two days, ever since they'd discovered that the Stargate on this planet does not dial out. He, Teal'c and Mitchell had all tried to tell her that Sam would be here in a few days with the _George Hammond_, but nothing seemed to console the woman. He knew he should be annoyed by her puerile behaviour but, the truth was, he really couldn't blame her. Today was Halloween on Earth, the first Halloween they weren't supposed to be off-world, and she'd been looking forward to celebrating the holiday. She'd spent weeks choosing the perfect costume for the party Jack was throwing. Even if Sam _did_ show up right now, it would take a couple of days to reach Earth by ship. By then the holiday would be over. He wished he could do something to cheer her up, though.

"Hey, Jackson." Cam said as he came to stand beside him, followed closely by Teal'c. "The Princess is still moping, I see."

"Indeed." Teal'c said with a bow of his head.

No one said another word as the turned their gazes on Vala. She was still in the same despondent posture she'd been in five minutes ago. Suddenly something caught Daniel's eye. A group of children were playing what looked like tag a short distance away from Vala. But what really got his attention was the child chasing all the others. He was wearing a mask, much like those worn at a masquerade ball, and it got him thinking.

"Uh oh." he heard Cam intone. "The wheels are turning in Dr. Jackson's head."

"I have an idea of how we can cheer Vala up." he said, rolling hos eyes and ignoring the colonel. "I'm going to need your help."

"Anything you wish, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c said readily.

"Good, you go sit with Vala. Cam and I are going to have a talk with the magistrate. We'll radio when we're ready."

"Let's go see the wizard." Cam said as they headed toward the town hall.

()()()()

"Teal'c, what's going on?" Vala whined as she followed the Jaffa. "Why are you dragging me to the town hall? I thought the naquadah deal was complete."

"Colonel Mitchell has just contacted me on the radio. He said that there is urgent business that must be attended to."

"No one's hurt, are they?" Vala asked in a worried voice. Daniel had a tendency to get himself into trouble when she wasn't around.

"I do not believe that to be the case. But our presence is required."

"Fine." Vala crossed her arms and followed at a slow pace. At least it was something to do. She was so caught up in her melancholy, she didn't even notice that the streets of the town were deserted until they reached the town hall. She glanced around with a crease to her brow. "Teal'c, where is everyone?"

"I do not know, Vala Mal Doran. Perhaps Daniel Jackson will have an answer."

Vala stared at her companion for a moment then shrugged. Whatever he was up to, she was certain to find out soon.

"After you, Vala Mal Doran." Teal'c said with a slight bow as he opened the door to the town hall. She gave him a wary glance but decided her only option was to go along. He sure was acting strangely, though, so she took it slowly. Goodness only knew what awaited her.

"Surprise!"

Vala stood wide-eyed and slack-jawed for a moment as she took in the scene before her. All of the townspeople plus Daniel and Cam were gathered around the room. Some had masks in hand and all were grinning. Vala was speechless.

"If I had known a surprise party was all it took to shut the princess up, I'd have done it years ago." Cam said loudly.

"What is all this?" she finally asked, mentally reminding herself to make Cameron pay for his comment later.

"Well, we all know how upset you were over missing Halloween, so we brought the holiday to you." Daniel said as he walked toward her. "I know it's not quite the same, but-"

"It's perfect, Daniel. Thank you." She reached up and kissed his cheek, not missing the slight blush that coloured his face.

"Yeah, well...uh..."

"Hey, what about me?" Cam whined a bit. "I helped, too."

"Thank you, Cameron." Vala smiled and pecked him on the cheek much as she had Daniel the she turned to Teal'c and did the same. "You, too, Muscles."

"It was my pleasure, Vala Mal Doran. Now, as the Tau'ri say, it is time to party."

"That's "it's party time", T." Mitchell corrected with a shake of his head.

"Indeed." Teal'c said with another bow of his head, not quite hiding the quirk of his lips.

Vala laughed and grinned at their antics as they moved away before returning her attention to Daniel. "Thank you again, darling. You didn't have to go to all this trouble. I would have gotten over the disappointment soon enough."

"I know, but I wanted to." They stared at each other for a moment before Daniel cleared his throat. "Besides, the magistrate was more than happy to accommodate us. He seemed rather interested in this Earth custom."

"Who wouldn't be?" she asked with a grin. "Now, where do I get one of those masks?"

Daniel grinned right back and led her to a table full of wonderfully colourful masks. "Apparently there is a game played by the children of this planet." he explained as he grabbed a mask for each of them. "One child wears the mas and is the "monster" and he chases the others around. It's kind of like tag, a common game played on Earth."

"Yes, we had a similar game on my planet." Vala informed him.

"I guess tag is pretty universal."

"So is alcohol, darling. Let's go find some."

Daniel rolled his eyes and followed along, but he couldn't keep the grin from his face. He was happy to see Vala finally coming out of her depression and enjoying herself.

()()()()

"SG-1, this is the _George Hammond_. Do you read?"

"Sammy, is that you?" Cam slurred into his radio. "I was wonderin' when you were gonna join the party."

"Cam, is everything all right down there?"

"Just peachy. C'mon down and join us."

"Join you in what?"

"Samantha, this is Vala." Vala said into her own radio, rolling her eyes at the drunk colonel. "Everything is fine. The boys just seem to have taken a particular liking to this planet's rather robust intoxicant."

"They're drunk?" came Sam's shocked voice. "All three of them?"

"Oh, yes. You just heard Cameron and if you listen carefully, you might be able to hear Daniel and Teal'c teaching some locals a tune called "Monster Mash". Apparently it's a very popular song on your planet."

Vala could actually picture Samantha leaning back in her command chair, trying not to laugh. "How did this happen?" she asked after a moment.

"Well, I was quite upset over missing Halloween so the boys thought it would be nice to throw a party here. It was a lovely gesture and I'm quite grateful. The locals seem to like it, as well. Or maybe they just enjoy watching the Tau'ri visitors trip over themselves. No matter, but a nicely timed beam-out would not go amiss. Just give me ten minutes to say our goodbyes."

"You got it. Carter, out."

"All right, boys." Vala said with a clap of her hands to get their attention. Once she had it, she continued. "Samantha is here. It's time to go home."

"Aw, man." Mitchell said dejectedly. "Can I keep the mask?"

Vala rolled her eyes as she helped the colonel to stand. "Yes, darling. Just don't move and be ready for Samantha to beam us aboard." Cam just grinned stupidly at her and she rolled her eyes again as she moved toward Daniel and Teal'c. They were still singing and Vala only shook her head, wondering if the magistrate would give her a case of this alcoholic beverage. She shoved them toward Cameron, still singing, then went to bid the magistrate farewell. Once everything was taken care of, she stood with the boys and radioed Sam. They were beamed aboard and the first thing Vala saw was the crew trying valiantly not to laugh. Then she heard bodies falling to the floor with groans. Looking toward the sounds, she found all three men sitting, holding their stomachs. Apparently beaming and drunkenness do not mix, she thought and snorted.

"I think we should send them to the infirmary to...sleep it off." Vala suggested to Samantha who merely nodded, biting her lip, then motioned for someone to "escort" the boys away. Once they were gone, Sam turned to her.

"Major Marks, you have command. Vala, I think a debriefing is called for."

"I'd say so." Vala followed her friend down the corridor. "I hope you have plenty of wine for this one. I have pictures!"

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**All reviews welcome.**


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